Journeys To The Underworld - Journey No. 45

12th Moon 9th Day (17th January 1978)

Touring "Carrying Stone Slab on Head and Crouch-Walking Small Prison"

Jigong: This year of the snake is coming to a close and the year of the Horse is fast approaching. Everyone hopes that in the Year of the Horse, every undertaking will be crowned with success. Actually, to be successful requires diligence and hard work. Things done without much effort will not be successful. To those who aspire to be successful in ascetic practice, they must behave like the horse which sprints ahead. Do not procrastinate in anything because those who do will live to regret when they grow old. Today we must prepare to tour Hades again. Yang Sheng, get up on the lotus flower platform. 

Yang Sheng: I'm safely seated, dear Master, we can now start. I don't know which Prison we will be touring this time.

Jigong: We will be going to the Seventh Tribunal to tour the "Carrying Stone Slab on Head and Crouch-Walking Small Prison". Get ready to proceed...... We have arrived. Yang Sheng, get down.

Yang Sheng: Really, we've arrived so soon. Sitting on the lotus flower platform with closed eyes is exactly like sitting in a jet plane. I can hear the whispering of the wind and very soon we have arrived.

Jigong: The human body can be likened unto an aircraft flying. There must not be any trouble inside the body, if there is, there is bound to be danger, very much like an aircraft falling down into a deep valley and the human body will be smashed up beyond recognition. This kind of speaking means that great care must be taken of the body, minute by minute. Some souls are sent to Hades to be punished because, just for one moment, due to lack of fore-thought, they committed a sin or sins in their lifetime. That is why they have to be punished after death. Yang Sheng, you should consider yourself very lucky to be able to sit so comfortably because not everyone can be comfortable sitting on the lotus flower platform. Quickly go ahead and pay your respects to the Officer.

Yang Sheng: Yes, Sir. I hereby pay my humble respects to Officer and General. I am Sheng Xian Tang's Yang Sheng coming here today with my Master to visit your Prison. Will you kindly provide us all facilities?

Officer: Welcome to Jigong and Yang Sheng for visiting us today. We here are aware that you have received the Order to write the Book which is a great honour and glory. Please accompany me inside.

Yang Sheng: Thank you, Officer. I observe that there are many sinful souls inside, busy doing work; big souls and small souls all busy moving stone slabs. Are you in the course of erecting a new building here?

Officer: Far from it. This is one form of punishing sinful souls; they have to shift the stone slabs.

Yang Sheng: No wonder they are screaming. Big slabs of stone being placed on the head, both hands supporting, the body crouching and both legs moving step by step forward. It appears they are suffering terribly. Some who are not careful enough to let the big slabs fall on their body and they faint away. The soldiers of Hades then sprinkle reviving water on them and they revive to lift up the fallen slabs to their head and proceed onwards, crouching all the time. This kind of punishment is rather old-fashioned but has practical use.

Officer: These souls are training to have "iron heads". Ha! Ha! When they were alive, they were thick-headed and egoistic, some were school teachers who did not respect their profession; some were students who did not honour and respect their teachers. After death, their souls were sent here to be punished.

Yang Sheng: Can I ask you to summon a few souls so that I can speak to them?

Officer: No problem. I'll ask some to come...... You can ask them any questions you like.

Yang Sheng: I ask Mister, why you are carrying the stone slab here?

1st Soul: When I speak of this, I feel very ashamed. When I was alive I was a school teacher. In my class there were a few very good looking girl students. When I taught, I paid too much attention to girl students to attract them and subsequently I enticed them. My illicit actions were not noticed by my fellow beings but after my death, my actions could not escape the notice of the Head of the Tribunal who instructed the soldiers of Hades to beat me up and later, when I reached the Seventh Tribunal, Tai Shan Wang was very angry and called me "an animal" and said,"You were a school teacher and did not uphold your dignity but stooped so low as to entice your girl students.". He sentenced me to this Prison to carry the stone slab on my head and crouch-walk everyday.

Officer: Being a school teacher you had no modesty but used your position to entice your innocent girl students - your sins were very great. The purpose of carrying the stone slab on your head is to make you downcast and ashamed to lift up your head to face people. I would therefore advise all human beings who are still alive on Earth and are instructors, whether religious instructors or tailoring instructors, etc. that instructors must be regarded as parents and students as children, so there must be mutual respect, one for the other, otherwise the wrong doers will be punished when their souls come to Hades. Yang Sheng, you can continue asking a few more souls if you feel like doing so.

Yang Sheng: Look here, Mister. Your face looks like one who has moral culture, and having a bald head, should command respect. Are you here to learn an art?

2nd Soul: Don't laugh la! I know I feel very ashamed. Carrying the stone slab on my bald head gives me much pain. During my lifetime, I led a religious life, having read through numerous religious books and being well-versed in them, I despised my religious superior and I began to regard myself as superior. Often, in front of gatherings, I criticized my religious superior. When I died, my soul was brought before the Head of the Tribunal who said that I despised my religious superior and instead of thanking him, criticized him and spoilt his good name. He then sentenced me to this Stone Slab Carrying and Crouch-Walking Small Prison to suffer everyday thus cancelling my sins.

Jigong: The progress or success of students is mainly due to the good instructions of the teachers or instructors. Therefore, it is but right that students should honour and respect teachers and instructors, but nowadays, human beings are very selfish and self-opinionated. They think that their main aim is to get money all the time, being ungrateful to their teachers; and opening up rival establishments to compete with their teachers or instructors. Such people will be sent here to be punished after death.

Yang Sheng: This Mister, can you please say why you are suffering here?

3rd Soul: I was a well-to-do person when I was alive and also I had the gift of eloquence. I looked down upon the poor and less fortunate and often used my position and eloquence to run down others. I liked to talk big. Because of my many sins, after death, my soul was sent to this Prison to be punished. I am very dissatisfied; can I request Jigong to be my advocate and plead on my behalf with Tai Shan Wang?

Jigong: Alright, alright. If you can spend money I can help you but if you can't spend money, there is nothing to talk about. You give money and I can speak to the Officer for you.

3rd Soul: Thank you for your intention to help but at the moment I just don't have any money. My money, I left to my children to spend on Earth; how then can I give you money?

Jigong: Therefore, don't daydream. Nowadays, the rich look down upon those who are poor and the poor are always being looked down by the rich. When you were alive, who told you to be so proud; now at death, where are your riches? It is better for you to continue carrying the stone slab on your head and to crouch-walk here everyday.

Officer: You are truly a very wicked soul. Even now you want to use your money power to influence us in Hades; we here cannot be influenced even with money. Just now, Jigong was laughing at you, didn't you realise it? Henceforth you must not talk too much otherwise more severe punishment will be passed on you.

Jigong: Remember that we should always reserve a certain portion of the opportunities on Earth for others to use also; don't be selfish to monopolise all the opportunities yourself. Do not despise others when you are successful or influential because one day if you happen to fall or become down and out, everyone will look down on you. Time is up to return, Yang Sheng, please say goodbye to Officer.

Yang Sheng: Thank you very much, Officer and Generals. We have to return now.

Officer: Generals, line up and say goodbye.

Jigong: Yang Sheng, quickly get up on the lotus flower platform.

Yang Sheng: I'm safely seated. We can now start, dear Master......

Jigong: We have arrived at Sheng Xian Tang. Yang Sheng, get down. Soul, return to your body.